Texas Moe

Wolf, I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your pics with the speech bubbles. I don't know how to do that.

My wife drove her car down a road that was being resurfaced but still allowed vehicles to pass through. In doing so, the vehicle became covered in this fine silty/sandy dirt that was a beast to wash off. After an hour of power washing the vehicle top to bottom (and underneath), the below picture is what the wheels still looked like. I figured this would be a good test of the Adam's Ultimate Wheel and Tire kit that I just bought. I cleaned the tire and undercarriage with APC and the wheel with DWC. I followed up with Tire Shine on the tires and Quick Sealant on the wheels. You can see the transformation below: All in all, a fun project and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Here were my thoughts on the project and Adam's products: This was my first time to do a major wheel cleaning and treatment. People were not exaggerating when they said how grimy this work is. I felt like I needed two showers after I was finished. I wasn't sure whether I'd like or really use the Fender Brush but it's great. I can't imagine how I would clean the wheel well without it. For the edges of the tire with deep grooves, I couldn't get enough direct pressure on the Fender Brush to get in all the nooks and crannies. I ended up using a brush I previously bought that fits in my palm and allows me to push directly into the tire. I will definitely pick up the Adam's Deep Clean Tire Scrub Brush before I do the wheels again. First time I've used the Tire Shine--love it! I've previously used the VRT but TS just takes it to a new level. I used the method Adam talks about in the video that provides medium shine and I'm really happy with it. And the smell made me hungry for 'nana puddin'. After all the cleaning and finishing, I parked the car on the street in front of my house and hit the wheel wells with the Undercarriage Spray (also first time to use). I loved how it made the car look afterwards. And my garage smelled like grape soda this morning, which is a bonus.

Please add me to the list of people who wish that they had bought your El Camino! Can't wait to see how the Vega turns out.

Fahrvergnügen!! I'm so jealous that you get to stop by the world headquarters of Adam's. Welcome and I wish you many long years of waxing on and off.

You bet. I love the look and feel that the conditioner gives and I've found that future cleanings go much easier with regular use.

Cleaned a friend's leather seats with the Leather and Interior Cleaner. Used the cockpit brush on the tough spots and it came out like-new. Needless to say, she was very impressed. Here's a pic of the backseat when I was half done.

It was nice to get the science-y talk (acids, neutrals, etc.) that Dylan provided but it's been great to get more contributions from Adam and the whole Adam's Family (I can't be the first one to make that joke.) Best of luck to Dylan at Roopes, Ru-pez, Ru-peez, Ru-pay, that Italian polishing machine company.

I may be trying to do too much at one time but I was wondering if I could clay bar and strip wash in one step. Was thinking that I could mix up some Rinseless at 16:1 and add some APC. Does anyone do this or a variation? Also, will it destroy my clay?

I've told this story in other HGG threads but I think it bears repeating. I tried HGG the first time with the wet method and didn't really love it. Problem was operator error because I used way too much product. Tried the dry method the next time and it worked much better for me because I sprayed a lot less product into the towel. Going to try the wet method next time and will try to be real conscious about how much product I use. It's amazing how small of an amount it takes to achieve great results. Bottom line: don't count it out after one application.

Guess he'll have to re-wrap the Raptor with Rupes! Great guy, hate to see him go but happy for him and wish him best of luck.

Thanks, Jason, and everyone else for their advice on this.

Hey Adam! I've got a '14 Toyota Taco.

Just wondering what y'all use to clean around the wheelwell. Do you wash those places when cleaning tires or when you're washing the vehicle? I would imagine you wouldn't want to get your cleaning mitt or wedge that dirty but just curious what you use instead. Thanks.

Polisher, pads, correcting and finishing polish, beard wax...the works!

Jeff, There's a lot of good info in this FAQ: http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/14851-faq-whats-the-best-wax-for-black-paint/?p=228119 Personally, the Brilliant Glaze and Americana wax make my black Tacoma look great.

The only reason the dry method worked better for me is that I tended to spray a lot less product into the towel. Using the wet method, I got really trigger happy and overapplied the product. The next time I use it I'm going to try the wet method and just be very mindful of how much I'm spraying onto the vehicle.

Congrats, Erik. Really loving those Buick rims.

Congrats, Daniel. When he's two, get him the Rupes Mini and start training him up.

Wolf, you are the man when it comes to innovation. Can't call you the 'Shine Doc' because that's already taken so how about the 'Shine Jedi'?

Phil, that looks great. Very impressed with the product and your setup. Gives me something to shoot for.

Thanks, Chris. I remember the thread where that tape was mentioned but I wasn't sure. Placing my order tomorrow!

Darryl, the Leather and Interior Cleaner and Leather Conditioner were some of the first Adams products I ever bought. I used them on my wife's car and they made her leather seats look brand new, which made her happy, which allowed me to buy more product. Good save on that interior and I totally agree with you about the interior products.

Chris, what kind of tape did you use? After spending two hours using a toothbrush to clean out creases and gaps, I'm ready to start using tape.

Jamey and Robert, thanks very much for the advice. I will most likely follow everything you said about the pads. I agree that it makes sense to keep separate colored pads for the glaze and wax so as to not cross contaminate them. And it's a good idea to snag the Gen 4 red and grey as a cheaper option. To all gents, thanks for taking the time to help me make my decision!

I've just about decided to pull the trigger on the Cyclo polisher. Needed some advice about pads from the experts. I'm an amateur who has to take care of just the two cars in our family, and both are in pretty good shape, we we're talking about light correction mostly. My first question is which pads do I really need for the Cyclo? Obviously I need the white and orange foam but do I really need the orange microfiber? Also, can I get by with waxing and glazing with only the gray pad or do I need the red, too? Finally, I don't need the carpet brushes for our interiors but I was thinking of buying them for tires. Are they strong enough to clean tires or should I but the heavy duty ones on the Cyclo website? This is going to be a high-dollar order (for me) so I'm trying to be as deliberate as I can. Thanks in advance for any feedback y'all might have.